The rise of the smartwatch: It’s time for watches to turn smart

Smartphones have dramatically revolutionized the way that we behave, work and interact, though due to their multi-functionality, they have also led to an on-going disappearance of traditional wristwatches. Nowadays, people would rather refer to their mobile phones than have a quick glance at their wrist. However, when reading the time on our smartphones, we often do not just check the time, but simultaneously read emails or Facebook messages, even if this was not our original intent. Especially in face-to-face situations, this distraction caused by smartphones is increasingly perceived as rather disrespectful to other people and could even harm interpersonal relationships.

The double-edged sword of smartphones seems to have enabled the revival of wristwatches – even if they are about to enter a new era of technological advancement.

It is believed that all industry leading tech companies such as Apple, Google, Samsung and Sony are currently testing and further enhancing their own so-called ‘smartwatches’. Apart from displaying the current date & time, they would also be connected to the user’s smartphone, making them a new generation of personal multi-media devices.

As well as to displaying the time, the watches could serve as a means to “preview” any content or messages that is received on the smart phone, as well as controlling and steering the phone itself. The advantage of this mechanism would be that users do not have to take their smartphone out every time a message arrives, but can decide given the preview on their watch and instead keep their hands free. Additionally, the watches could be equipped with sensors to keep a track of health-related data, such as heart rate, which could make them a personal life saver, especially for elderly people.

For marketers and brands, this type of new gadget would offer another platform to interact with consumers and create engagement. Of course such opportunities are currently to a large degree just fortune telling, but it is fair to say that such a device would additionally increase the need for relevant, as well as highly fluid, content to be ready and waiting in order to be served to consumers.